Talking Jeepers Creepers

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By Scott B.

Gina Philips and Justin Long, who star in the new horror film Jeepers Creepers, recently sat down at a series of roundtable interviews in Los Angeles to discuss the challenges of making the film, which seems poised to become a sleeper hit.

"I'm a horror movie fanatic," admits Philips (whom TV viewers will recognize from Fox's Boston Public). "I grew up on them." Her familiarity with the genre was one of the things that helped her recognize just why director Victor Salva's screenplay for Jeepers Creepers was so special: "One of the things that was important to me is that it didn't have too many of those moments where you're sitting there saying, 'You idiots, you idiots!'"

Justin Long, whom many moviegoers will remember from his part as the sci-fi geek in Galaxy Quest and TV viewers will recognize from NBC's Ed, is also a big horror fan. "I saw Nightmare on Elm Street and the Halloween series, even though my parents wouldn't let me see R-rated movies," he admits with a laugh. "So there was always something scandalous about them, sort of a forbidden fruit. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the '78 version, is still the scariest movie I've ever seen."

Besides their shared love for the genre, another thing that attracted them to Jeepers Creepers was the chance to play siblings, rather than the obligatory romantic couple. "I thought it was a challenge," says Philips, "to keep people interested the whole time in a brother and sister, not a romance. There's no sexual tension."

Long describes the process of achieving a believable dynamic for their on-screen characters: "We rehearsed for about a week, and the rehearsals were made up of mostly just improvs &#Array; brother/sister improvs &#Array; so that helped tremendously. We also spent so much time together [during shooting] that we actually started bickering and doing all the other things brothers and sisters do. It was nice not to have to worry about the obligatory sexual tension, that it was just sort of a pure relationship."

Gina Philips and Justin Long try to escape The Creeper in United Artists Films’ Jeepers Creepers

Not surprisingly, the question of working with writer/director Victor Salva came up. Many will remember the controversy that erupted when Salva's status as a convicted sex offender was exposed upon the release of his film Powder. While neither performer wanted to address the subject directly, Philips did state: "My only concern is that he's a wonderful director and I had a great experience with him." Long was even more blunt: "I have no comment on that."

Finally, the question of sequels comes up. Jeepers Creepers certainly has an ending that seems to beckon for another installment &#Array; if it makes enough money, could we see the birth of a new horror franchise to compete with the now-tired Screams and Halloweens? "They've been talking about doing it," Philips says with obvious enthusiasm. "First we have to get people in to see this one, but if they enjoy it, we'd love to do another one. It'd be fun."